GRADE: 10
This film focuses on an ex-Foreign Legion officer as he recalls his once glorious life, leading troops in Djibouti.
Director: France
Country: Drama, War
THOUGHTS:
A beautiful, perfectly executed piece of cinematic poetry, centered on homoerotic tension and suppressed desire. The story is simple, but told so uniquely and eloquently, with minimal narrative exposition, that it becomes hypnotic and almost dreamlike. The visuals throughout are textural—experienced as much as they are seen. The music, too, contributes to film’s overall hallucinatory, sun-drenched effect, without pandering to audience expectations. A masterwork for Claire Denis.